Asking for Trouble?

Question

My husband decided to hire our neighbor to remodel our basement. He has not signed a contract; hasn't even gotten a full outlined estimate in writing. But get this. Tomorrow morning, the neighbor is supposed to start the work!! I'm just finding this out. My husband won't even be here! Neither will I, and I am very concerned about leaving this guy in my house alone. He's my neighbor, sure, but my husband hasn't even checked on his insurance!! I'm no genious here, but I know for a fact there should be a contract in force before any type of work has begun. My plan is to call the guy in the morning to tell him he can't start the work without a contract.

My husband's being very unreasonable, and quite frankly, just stupid about this. How can I make him see that he's asking for trouble??

Answer 1

You are correct. He may think he will hurt the neighbor's feeling by asking for a contract. Tell hubby dear that it is better to hurt the neighbor than have an injury on your property, unfinished, or sloppy work or work not in compliance with the city or to make your family have to pay out triple to get the work done again or go to court or pay hospital bills!He has to think about his family first before the neighbor! Does the guy have a license? Some city's require it.Did you get a permit to do the work? If you don't know if you need one or you need stall time-you can tell him that you need to call and ask the city about permits,license,etc. because your hubby forgot to.If he says that you can do it without the city ever knowing then that will be a red flag for you that he is not on the up and up!If he says anything like that then you need to ask the city about him also and if there have been any complaints about him or his work.Tell him he will have to wait until you get back to him. Cover yourself completely. There are thousands in court because of no contracts,permits, shoddy work and work done by unlicensed men.There are thousands who have to take out loans to pay another worker to redo the work!Best wishes!

Answer 2

Write down all the danger may happen, show it to him.
Example:
1. Will that person empty your house while both of you not around.
2. Run away with the deposit and do nothing.
3. Unskilled or could not meet the expectation.
4. Did he rented the place near you without giving real personal details. And disappear once problems came out.
5. Even when all above question are solved, can your husband be 100% sure that all work done will be up to the expectation? Material used is what he want. When defects surface, who to look for & responsible.
Do not give in this time, do your very best to stop it until proper black & white is sign. It will protect you and your husband's rights.

Answer 3

Definitely call the neighbor and put the hold on the work. Do you have an attorney? If so, have him contact your husband and explain the what can go wrongs in the situation. Also, tell him he can look at the judge shows on TV just to see how people do stupid things like this and get burned BAD. You could lose everything you've worked for. Also, if there is any trouble with the neighbor, like he gives you some grief about can-celling, call the police and give them a heads up. With a report on file, he could be arrested.

Answer 4

You're right it is better to be safe than sorry.. I have witness close relatives screwing each other over. There is no need to trust your neighbors. Tell him he needs to prepare a contract before he can start. Your husband is being really foolish. I guess he wants to learn things the hard way. You need to take charge of the situation before matters get out of hands and possibly end up losing money. If anything goes wrong you would have to take full responsibility since you have no proof that the guy worked on your house.

Answer 5

Yeah - there needs to be a contract and definately an estimate and insurance information. Your husband isn't making a very smart informed decision. CONFRONT the neighbor!

I would call the guy and call it off and tell your husband you are going to do so, because this isn't smart... if he keeps pressing..than when something happens and the neighbor doesn't come through I guess he will realize the mistake he made!

Answer 6

haha show him the results of this question youve asked! im sure im nto the only one who will say that THATS A BADDD IDEA , even if there buddies and he trusts the guy. the guy shouldnt be doing work in your home unless he is licensed and insured to do the work layed out for him, a BID not an estimate should be agreed on, (an estimate does not say for sure, that is a preliminary thing, work shouldnt be started with only an estimate) you should look into his record, make sure he has no complaints and do A LOT of talking with the guy. this is your HOME and trust me it can be bad if this guy doesnt know what hes doing. ive gone into more then a few homes after some quack has caused mass damage that people have PAYED for. do your research always it will save you money and stress.

Answer 7

I saw one of those special investigation reports about the nightmares people have had to deal with in similar situations. Yes, you should definitely do some type of contract to protect yourselves. Is the guy even licenced for this type of work? If he hurts himself doing your basement, he could sue you if he's not insured for it! Explain to your husband it's for your safety and your neighbors that you do everything legally and right!

Answer 8

I agree. Not only should there be a contract. But BEFORE you agree to hire him, you should get at least three referrals & follow through & check them out. Plus you need to see at least one example of his finished work.
If you aren't doing the work yourself, then permits may also be required.
I think you should put your foot down on this one. This type of thing should be a joint effort where you & your husband work in complete agreement.
Marriage is a partnership, not a dictatorship. If he wants to play the loose cannon, then I would consider that a "DEAL BREAKER".

Answer 9

Your husband also needs to realize that this can cause trouble if the neighbor does not do it right. He should not hire him in fact he should hire a professional and have the job done right.

Answer 10

true. i am sure you can even go through the computer an print such contract over night for him to sign in the morning. make it a point to be there an have him look it over. or draw one up yourself and state what you want an what you expect and price with deadline. my would do the same thing , if he didn't have me as ryhme an reason standing behind him.